sharing printer to others on the lan w/o assign them as local users?

[rich110]

Hi,

If I am going to share my printer (on a w2k prof. station say A) to everyone on the lan (98,2k) but I don't want them to be my local users, can this be done.

I've tried creating a network printer (say NP) on other station (say B) by logging in as B's administrator. When I logged on as an ordinary user (say OU) on B (which is not a user in A), the NP does not show up on my printer list. Even if I tried to create a printer (when logged on as OU on B), I cannot see the shared printer in A.

How can I share my printer to the rest of the Lan members w/o sharing my drives or letting others to use it ?

 

[mattjurado]

Didn't even read the second paragraph, not clear...

Bottom line is this. To access a resource on an NT/2000/XP machine, the user you are logged in as MUST also exist on the NT/2000/XP machine, and the password MUST also be the same.

If you are logged into a 98 machine as Bob, with a password of 123456, and you want to access a shared printer on a 2000 PC, then you need to create Bob/123456 on the 2000 machine, period.

The only exception would be if you are in a domain, which I don't think you are, you would simply need to be logged in as a valid domain account user which also has rights to the printer in its properties, security tab.

Matt J.

Please always take the time to backup any and all data before performing any actions suggested for ANY problem, regardless of how minor a change it might seem. Also test the backup to make sure it is intact.

 

[wuneyej]

I'm not exactly sure what you're looking to do either, but if you're simply looking to share your locally connected printer, have a look at the following:

http://www.tek-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=623263

 

[rich110]

Tks Matt J.
I think you answer my question already :
The login name must be users on both machines
but that is what I don't want. I just want him to use my printer but cannot use my machine, that's it. Any way out of this?

What happen's if the printer is attached to a server? Does the guy had to be a local user of the server? That dosen't sound too logical : he can mess the server up.

Thanks for all the input.

 

[mattjurado]

No way out if it, this is Microsoft's security model.

If you have a 2000/2003 server, the same rules apply. But if it is a server just doing file/print services, it should be running an Active Directory domain. You can also make sure you have a policy in place that defines the "Log on locally" right. And usually you don't add a user to the domain administrators group, so they can't login to any computer and have full access.

I suggest you start here, and google any terms you don't understand, and questions you might have. There is a wealth of info on the the web, and I recommend looking into a 2000 Server book.

http://www.comptechdoc.org/os/windows/win2k/win2krights.html

Matt J.

Please always take the time to backup any and all data before performing any actions suggested for ANY problem, regardless of how minor a change it might seem. Also test the backup to make sure it is intact.

 

[aquias]

Another option for this, although this is an entirely different setup, is to attach the printer to your network and then set everyone to print to the IP address.

You don't get the same control, or security, that you'll get setting the system up on a print server (and changes can become tedious), but it's fast and it works.

 

[rich110]

Hi aquias

What you mean is using a 'network printer server', isn't it? A device with an IP address and several printers attached to it (that the best I can describe the device, sorry for my poor English and technical terms).

Just try to make the 2nd paragraph more clear (hopefully) :

I attached a printer to a w2k prof workstation (named A) and shared it out. Logging in as Admin. on another w2k prof. workstation (named B) I created a network printer (named NP). I then logged in as an ordinary user on B but I cannot find NP on my printer list.
Have I made myself clear (or worse)? If this is normal and with a network of 10 workstations and 10 users (who is expected to login at any workstation) there would have to be 10x10 setups for 1 shared-printer. I hope that this is just a joke.

Another funny thing I found is that after I setup the NP at B and view it's properties, I found that the communication port isn't something like '\\A\printer-name' but instead I found 'LPT1'. I am sure that was not what I saw with another W2K network somewhere else. What is actually going on? All I can remember is the main difference between the two network is : one had a window update thru the microsoft site and the other had done only a sp4 upgrade. Is that the cause of the difference?

 

[jaydeebe]

you need to change the default profile on the machine. When you create a new user the default profile is used to create the new user profile. You should create your own default user profile by logging on to the machine as a user and setting up everything you want all users to have. Then copy the profile (using system properties/profiles tab) to overwrite the default profile. Then when you add new users and they log on they will be given the default profile with the settings you made (ie your printer).

Jaydeebe BSc (hons)
MCSA 2k
MCSE 2k

 

[aquias]

Not really. What a print server is, is one system loaded with all of your print queue's. For this to work you need to have each printer setup on your network with its own IP address. Then, you point each system to the print queue's that are loaded on the print server.

The other configuration is to have all of your printers attached to the network and then point each user to that printer by it's IP address. To do this, just set the printers up on each system as a local printer, with an IP port attached.

I would recommend the second option if you're not running a microsoft based environment, just for ease of your administration.

 

[bcastner]

First, some reading:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;189105&Product=win2000

The saner Tek-Tips version of this MS KB:
thread779-581142
The terrific Bruce Sanderson, MVP's article:

http://members.shaw.ca/bsanders/NetPrinterAllUsers.htm

I disagree with the above that Win2k in a Workgroup demands the synchronization of username and passwords on all machines in order to share a printer device.

. Installing it remotely is one thing
. Sharing the printer as "print server" workstation is a second thing
. Using it as a remote user is a third thing.

As I have said in this, and the XP Forum, your life while miserable as a Workstation Administrator is relieved considerably buy insisting on non-blank passwords, and synchronizing all usernames and passwords on all workstations. Use Share Permissions and NTFS to handle security.

But the NT security model does permit (albeit with some XP variations) the use of blank passwords, and authentication to network devices as an anonymous, Guest or member of Everyone group user.

The wonderful Steve Winograd and Ron Lowe have a very clear discussion for XP clients, although it applies for Win2k:

http://www.practicallynetworked.com/sharing/xp_filesharing/03userpasswords.htm

http://www.practicallynetworked.com/sharing/xp/addxp.htm

http://www.practicallynetworked.com/sharing/xp/filesharing.htm

See also my own quibbles about blank passwords and anonymous access to shares: thread779-796583

Best to all,
Bill Castner